IPL 2018: All-time playing XI of the Royal Challengers Bangalore

The IPL is entering its second decade and the most exciting news so far has been the return of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals after being suspended for two years. The two IPL giants will look to make a comeback to the tournament with a bang.

On the other hand, RCB are looking forward to starting afresh in IPL 2018 and have roped in India's 2011 World Cup-winning coach, Gary Kirsten, as well as former Indian pacer, Ashish Nehra, as their batting and bowling coaches, respectively.

Currently, the team led by Virat Kohli hasn’t had much of a success in any edition of the IPL. They might just be the unluckiest out of the eight franchises and have been the runners-up on three occasions - in 2009, 2011 and 2016.

RCB have traditionally had a star-studded batting side, with their clumsy bowling lineup-invariably being their Achilles heel over the years.

Let us have a look at an all-time XI who have played for the Men in Red in the cash-rich league. The list includes players who have had a positive impact on the team through their performances and have played at least 2 seasons for the franchise.

Note: The team consists of seven Indian cricketers and four foreigners:

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Openers

#1 Chris Gayle

One of the most explosive opening batsmen in the history of T20, Chris Gayle, joined Royal Challengers in 2011 as a replacement for Dirk Nannes. Joining the team midway through the season, he amassed 608 runs in 12 innings with a dazzling strike rate of 183, with 2 centuries included. In the next two editions in 2012 and 2013, he scored more than 600 runs respectively and that too, with a strike rate of 150.

But in the following seasons, he was unable to produce the same magic and as a result of this, he was not retained by the franchise before the 2018 auctions. He will be donning the jersey of the Kings XI Punjab in April this year.

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#2 Virat Kohli

The current Indian skipper of all the three formats of the game and second highest run-getter in the history of IPL, Virat Kohli, has played impressively for the Bengaluru-based franchise.

The right-hander was the captain of the Indian team that won the 2008 ICC U-19 World Cup and was a player who was signed by the RCB as a part of the youth contract after 2008 auction.

From playing at 5-down as a novice to opening the innings as their captain, the rise of the Kohli at RCB has been nothing short of phenomenal. The skillful batsman has been a part of the Bengaluru side since its inception, has featured in 148 matches for them.

He has scored 4,129 runs for the Men in Red with an impressive average of 35.90 over the ten editions.

Middle Order

#3 Rahul Dravid

The most unshakable batsman in the world, Rahul Dravid, is the second highest Indian run-getter for RCB even today.

The 45-year-old, in his 43 matches for RCB, scored 898 runs for them with an impressive strike rate of over 125. Although he was one of the finest batsmen of the franchise, he couldn't be their ideal captain, as his success percentage as a leader was as low as 28%(lowest by any captain of RCB).

His best score for the M. Chinnaswamy stadium based franchise was 75* against the Rajasthan Royals, which he scored in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

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#4 AB de Villiers

This majestic batsman was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for USD 1.1 million at the IPL Player Auction 2011. Since then, AB de Villiers has joined hands with Chris Gayle in tearing bowling attacks apart with his scornful willow.

During the 2012 season, when playing the role of a finisher, he snatched wins for his side from the jaws of defeat. The South African unearthed some outrageous shots to incredible effect and in one over, smashed one of the best bowlers, Dale Steyn for 23 runs – hitting him for two fours and two sixes – to win a thriller for his team.

With a strike rate of 157.19, Mr 360 has scored 2 centuries and 20 half-centuries for RCB in the 101 matches he played for the franchise.

ABD gets a standing ovation whenever he comes out to bat in India, a privilege that is reserved for very few foreign players in the game.

Wicket Keeper and all-rounders

#5 Robin Uthappa (WK)

Currently being considered among the potential captaincy candidates for KKR for the upcoming season, Robin Uthappa was once a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad, back in the 2009 and 2010 editions of the tournament.

Uthappa has scored over 700 IPL runs for the Men in Red in the 40 matches he played for them.

He was part of the RCB side that reached 2009 final and was an important part of the 2010 side as well, which reached the playoffs that season.

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#6 Jacques Kallis

Former Proteas player and the current head coach of Kolkatta Knight Riders, Jacques Kallis, became a high-quality T20 player in the latter stages of his career. He was a part of the RCB squad in the period from 2008 to 2010. After a poor season in 2008, Kallis became a much better player and scored 572 runs in the 2010 season for RCB.

He also picked up 23 wickets with the ball in the three seasons, which made him a vital cog in the RCB line-up. Unfortunately for RCB, he left the club when he was at the peak of his career. Kallis will be always remembered by RCB for his immense contribution to their victories.

Seamers

#7 Mitchell Starc

Starc was part of the RCB franchise from 2014 to 2016 but played in only two editions for them and missed the entire 2016 season, as he was recovering from a foot injury.

In 2014, he took 14 wickets at 28.71 with an economy of 7.49, and in 2015 he claimed 20 wickets at 14.55 with an economy of 6.76 for the Kohli-led team. RCB and Starc parted ways ahead of the 2017 IPL season. He was instrumental in taking them to the playoffs in 2016.

Starc’s 4 for 15 against the Kings XI Punjab in the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League stands to be his best performance for the Bangalore-based franchise.

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#8 Vinay Kumar

The highest wicket-taker in RCB history, Vinay Kumar, picked up 80 wickets during his time with the Bengaluru franchise. His 4-0-40-4 against the Chennai Super Kings back in 2010, still stands as his best bowling performance in the cash-rich T20 league.

He is one of RCB’s biggest performers to date and during his five-year stint with the club, proved to be the master of the death overs, where RCB have always struggled to get their bowling combinations right after his departure from their squad.

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#9 Sreenath Aravind

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A highly underrated bowler for Royal Challengers, Sreenath Aravind, has always been overshadowed by his more illustrious teammates.

Arvind was the Bangalore based franchise's highest wicket-taker in 2011 and continued to impress in the IPL over the years. He had 21 wickets to his name in 13 games in that season.

Spinners

#10 Anil Kumble

Kumble was handed the captaincy of RCB midway through a torrid second season for the club and since he took over, there was a sudden change in their fortunes. The legendary spinner led the team in an exemplary way, helping them reach the final of the tournament.

The 47-year-old former Indian leg-spinner is the second highest wicket-taker for RCB in the history of the IPL, picking up 53 wickets in the 51 IPL matches played for them. Kumble's bowling figures of 3.1 overs, 1-5 against the Rajasthan Royals in 2009 still stand as the best bowling performance by an Indian in the tournament.

Kumble still is the best captain for RCB on paper even today, as he has a winning percentage of 54.28, compared to Kohli's 53.73 and Daniel Vettori's 53.57.

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#11 Yuzuvendra Chahal

The attacking leg-spinner has been one of the key bowlers in the RCB team in the recent past. His wicket-taking ability is one of his biggest strengths and this makes him Kohli's go-to bowler in critical situations.

He was bought for just INR 10 lakh in the 2014 edition of the IPL and he cemented his spot in the team almost immediately. Some terrific performances for the franchise helped him grab the attention of the national selectors.

Playing for RCB, he finished as the 3rd highest wicket-taker in the 2015 edition and the 2nd highest wicket-taker next year.